Appliance for treatment of the spinal region.



A. T. VANCE. APPLIANCE FOR TREATMENT OF THE SPINAL REGION.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 2. I916- I 1,250,392. Patented Dec. 18,1917.

spinal cord. 1

u Another object is to produce a device thatreducingv pressure and heat along bothsi es of the a maaawa r Be it known that I, AnLvNljTQ, a citizen of; the- United States, .residing at v Los 'Angeles, in the county ofLos Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Appliance forl reatment of theSpinal Region' of which the. following is a specification. 7

An object 7 of this i;nvention is to produce rela ion of the musclesaclj acent; the spinal column and, to soothe the nerves of the is capable of simultaneously spine. 1

giving heat and pressure treatment to the occipital region.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the subjoined detail description.

.The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the appliance wherewithnthe newly discovered method is performed;

. ,Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional elevation on line indicated by 50 -50 Fig. 1.,

-. Fig. 3 1s a transverse sectional elevation.

on line indicated by w a: Fig. 1. 1

t Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional elevation on line indicated by w*w=-,Fig. 1.

The appliance comprises a suitable support 1 which may be curved 'from side to side, if desired, as shown in Figs. 3, 4 and said support is provided near its mid length with two transversely extendingiabutments in the form of relatively long narrow ridges or ribs 2 thatare curved transversely and also longitudinally, the longitudinal curvature being greater than the curvature of the support so that'the end. portions of the ribs merge gradually into the support. The

support 1 and ribs2 may be integral with.

one another or, as shown in the drawings,

. said ribs may be of separate construction and fastenedby solder or any other suitable means, not shown, to the support 1.

The ribs 2 may be hollow as shown in th drawings and the support 1 may be provided with openings 3 communicating with the cavities 4 of the ribs. v

The support 1 and ribs 2 are designed to be heated. and said heating may be'acco m' I, jviir afojrftosatt sts,- ermtmi. 7

Another object is to produce a device for j Specification Plishfid. in any suitable manner. :In the fie I av-ice. illustrated in the drawings the heating is accomplished by hot water: and for this purpose the supportl. andribs 2. form-the 1 top of a 5 container indicated ingeneral at 15,. said container comprising besides the-' sup+, port 1 and ribs 2 a b'ottom 6, sides 7=tandl ends ee m :mensw a .we: sta e n? I .The. zends areprovided.with screw-thread- I 7 ed: openings 9 ;-closed bysc reiv-threaded plugs l0. One of said openings 9 may be te t-he other opening may be attached a rub- 5 f V used- 'i'or-fillingandemptyingthefdevice' and i ber'tube if it bed'esired to use the device as the container of a syringe. 1

In practice, to use the device, the attend ant or the patient who is to be treated will erablylie on the appliance soas to'cause his'weight to bring pressure to bear on those portions of the body" adjacent the ribs 2. f

The combined heat and beneficial in many cases.

The support 1 may be pressure 15 very:

provided near one end with a third abutment or rib 11 having,

its cavity 12 communicating through an opening 13 with-the interior of the container.

The rib 11 is preferably: rounded transversely and may be curved longitudinally'upward from its middle toward. its" ends. V I V I In -pract1ce, if it be desired to treat'the occipital region of thefspine, the patient will lie with the head on the support l or.

on a cloth or. pad, placedv on said support with the rib .11 crosswise underfthe 'neck l 5 so thatsome ofthe patients weight will .eaulse pressure of the rib 11 against th nec r.

occipital region.

Theiribs 2, 11 constitutehollow abrupt abutments havlngtheir sides. substantially at'right angles to the support adjacent said The combined pressure and heat is often quite beneficial in treatment of the support, the advantage of this being that when a patient lies back down on the appliance pressure and heat will be brought to bear by the abrupt abutments only on the parts of the body f desired and the pressure on theiparts of the body on either side i of theabutmcntsmill\berminimized. If the abutmerits were not abrupt the pressure on those parts of the body resting on said abutments Where it should be a maximum Would be reduced.

It is understand ,vthat the support 11' and ribs 2, 11 maybe'hea'ted otherwise than bythe use of hot Water in the container and; I that thQflIlVBDtiOIl is only limlte'd 'by the nigh angles 130 :the "support adjacent :said

support. 7

2. An appliance of the character v desjenihed-compliising a container iori'a'heatwileg.z'lllediuin, having openings in its top, and

53911163.!-.th1s -;iatnnt1ma;9 beaobtainediorrive-cents each, by addressing Wafihtnztonmw."

eating with said openings.

ribs-F011 the "top having recesses-communi- 3. An appliance of the character de- 7 scribed comprising asupport, and spaced hollow abruptabutmerits projecting from the suppont Xand .adaptedto extend longitudinally along both sides of and close to the patients spine and adapted to beeheated so that When the patient lies back down on the =appl=iance *both heat and pressure will be transmitted to those portions of the patients body resting {on the=abutments, ant1 pressure on other portions of the patients back adjacent the abutments Will be lessened- Signed at Les Angles, California, this 26th day-"of Sept. 19-16. r

ARLY'N VANCE. Witnesses:

GEORGE HnzEs, 'iAJFJSGH MIDTBAUER.

the Commissioner new, 

